


Hockeytown

by historicaldestiels



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Normal Life, Castiel is a disaster, Domestic Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Humor, Ice Hockey Player Dean Winchester, Lawyer Sam Winchester, M/M, They're all disasters actually, paramedic Castiel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-27
Updated: 2019-06-27
Packaged: 2020-05-20 18:17:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,441
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19382128
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/historicaldestiels/pseuds/historicaldestiels
Summary: When paramedic Castiel meets Dean Winchester in his brother's coffee shop,  he had no idea he'd fall head first in love.  Thus begins a chaotic relationship between an ice hockey player and a paramedic-oh lord.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to this chaos. Settle in, buckle up, and try not to die. Thanks for reading, and I really appreciate comments and kudos!!!!!

November 3rd, about 3:28 in the afternoon. 

"Little brother!" Gabriel calls from the main counter as Castiel walks in from the flat, blinking sleep out of his eyes. He'd fallen asleep on the couch again, a byproduct of a night shift at the hospital, and he's sure he has marks on his cheeks from his sweater. "You're awake!" 

"Mmhm, yeah." Cas mumbles, collapsing into one of the stools by where Gabriel makes his coffees. The café (Angelic Coffee) is set up like a rustic Starbucks, complete with bar-style seating by the checkout counter. It's a good place for people to chat up the barista, there because Gabriel loves talking to his customers and telling them stories. It’s partially why he has so much business. Normally the café would be packed by now with college students and professors in their off hour, but because of a raging thunderstorm outside there are only a few patrons. A Billie Eilish song (Xanny?) filters through the speakers in all four corners of the café, silhouetted against the sound of rain and thunder. 

One of those said patrons is sitting only a few chairs away from Cas, in a nice suit that contrasts with his long (long for a guy, anyways) brown hair and sideburns. Not crazy sideburns, just a little, but still. Sideburns. He'd looked up when Cas sat down, with a look like he was sizing Cas up. It made Cas both curious and self-conscious. Not curious enough to strike up conversation, but curious. 

"I was just talking to Sam here about how nuts the weather's been. It's only November!" Gabriel says as he pulls a cake pop out from the display case and takes a tiny bite of it. Ever the sweet tooth. 

Cas chuckles. "We live in Michigan, Gabe. It's not that surprising." He glances over at the person Gabriel referred to as Sam, who's now typing away on his laptop. Cas would be nosy, but the legal pad next to his laptop is all lawyer-y stuff, and that's a little rude. So, instead he turns to Gabriel and does his best puppy eyes. "Can you make me an espresso, please?" 

"You gonna pay me for it?" Gabriel replies with a pointed look. Cas rolls his eyes and digs in his pocket for five bucks. No little-brother discounts here. Not that Castiel's surprised- his stingy brother refused to let Cas mooch free drinks when the cafe opened too. So he begrudgingly hands Gabriel the money and fake pouts. Gabriel ignores the pout and eagerly counts the cash. 

"Geez, Gabriel, no family discount?" Sam says, and Cas jumps. He wasn't expecting Sam to speak, or to see the smile spread on his brother's face when he did. Oh lord. If Gabriel had yet another crush, he’d probably neglect his chores, like he always did, and Cas did not want to do more chores on top of night shifts. 

"Nope." Gabriel starts making the espresso, the machines loud but not awful. "If anything, it's payback for me having to deal with him." 

"Hey! I'm not that bad..." Cas practically yelps the sentence, growing defensive. His cheeks burn with humiliation. Being teased in front of someone is not something he takes well. 

"Only because you have your face buried in a book all day,” Gabriel responds. “And you’re working all night.” Cas tries his best to interact with his brother during the day, but Gabriel still complains about how he wants more time with his brother. Cas is a little more concerned about the money, but he does wish he could be with his brother more. 

Cas takes a long sip of his espresso, savoring the coffee taste. He worked a later shift last night, and had a call a few minutes before he could clock out, so he ended up staying longer. The caffeine buzz will be much appreciated. 

Sam gives him a look that could either mean "what" or something else. Cas isn't good at people reading. "Working as what?" Sam asks, closing his laptop and facing Cas. Gabriel raises his eyebrows (again) and gives Cas a pointed look, like you gonna answer? 

"I'm a paramedic. At Garrison General." Cas replies. He was going to say more, but the front door bursts open, and he jumps (again...). A blast of cold whips through the room, and everyone turns. Castiel's eyes widen, a blush making his face hot all over. Sam facepalms. 

An angel of a man stands in the doorway, a duffel bag in his hands and his hair a (wet) honey blond mess. He's fit, with juniper eyes that could make any man swoon. Water drips from the angel's hair, his freckled cheeks windblown pink. If this was a cheesy romance novel, Cas would've fallen out of his chair, but instead he just stares like idiot. Screw caffeine, just seeing this heavenly man wakes Cas right up. 

To his shock, the man walks right over to them, and stands directly in front of Sam. Sam raises an eyebrow. "Dean? Was the entrance necessary?" 

"Yes, because I have no freakin' clue where the ice rink is," Dean replies, a hint of a Southern accent in his voice. Somehow, both the name and the accent make Cas want to swoon. He realizes his mouth is open and snaps it shut, distracting himself with coffee. Dean keeps talking, clearly not noticing the gay panic he's giving Cas. "And I'm going to be late for practice, and you know I can't do that." 

Dean's jade gaze meets Castiel's and Cas is suddenly lightheaded. Dean smiles. "Well, hi. You’re pretty." 

Pretty?! Do you even see yourself? You're like a freaking god! Cas stammers out a reply, beaming. "Cas, I'm hi. Er, I mean, hi, I-I'm Cas." Way to go, Castiel. English is definitely your strong suit. He stares at the floor and shuts his mouth, hopefully avoiding any other awkward situations. Which usually doesn't work, but that's okay. 

He hears Dean chuckle, which only deepens his embarrassment. He can also hear Gabriel laughing. That's infuriating and so laughably in character that Cas giggles a little bit. Gabriel laughs even harder because of this. Cas is debating whether or not he's going to slap his brother when Dean speaks again, thank god. "Well, Sammy, I still need an answer. Do you know where the ice rink is or not?" 

Ice rink? That explains the duffel bag. Cas looks up, curiously, and stares right into Dean's eyes. Dean's smiling, and it's contagious. Now that Cas is looking, he can see a little bulge-y spot that looks suspiciously like an ice skate blade in the duffel bag. Hockey, maybe? He had heard about an opening on a local college team (U of M?) from some coworkers. So maybe that's the practice Dean's going to be late to. 

"Um," Cas says, interrupting Sam before he has a chance to speak. "I think it's a few miles east." He's not quite sure, but he's sure enough. Dean sighs in relief, almost dramatically. 

"Thank you! My practice is at four and I still have to gas up Baby. Sam, toss me your notepad and that pen." 

Sam furrows his eyebrows. "What? Why?" 

Dean just waves his hands nonchalantly, taking the notepad from a suspicious Sam. He scrawls something down, rips it out, and hands it to Cas. Cas takes it, but tilts his head a little and narrows his eyes. His fingers brush Dean's, which are surprisingly warm, and his face warms just a little more. On the yellow paper, written in messy handwriting, reads:   
DEAN'S NUMBER: 1-785-207-0275   
TEXT ME? 

"I-Sure?" Cas stammers, looking back up. Dean winks and grins, looking actually happy about this. A feeling that Cas can only describe as 'bubbly' takes over, making him beam and forget legitimately everything he was about to say. It's not a bad feeling at all. Gabriel is still snickering in the background, but now Sam is too. 

"Great. I gotta go. See you after practice, Sammy. Bye, Cas." Dean waves and rushes out. Cas watches him break into a run once he's outside in the storm. When he's out of view, Cas takes a deep breath and turns back to Gabriel. Did he just get the most attractive guy ever's number? Yes, yes he did. He kinda wants to laugh, but he doesn't because both Sam and Gabriel are staring at him. 

"I've never seen Dean give up his number that fast since...ever." Sam says, eyes wide. "Normally he flirts beforehand." 

"Well...he was in a rush." 

"I think he likes you," Gabriel says teasingly. Cas rolls his eyes again. "You gonna text him?" 

"Yeah." Cas takes out his phone, taking a sip of his forgotten espresso. Once he enters the number and creates the contact, he sends a quick message to Dean. 

Cas: Hey, this is Castiel from the café. Just checking that this is the right number. 

He takes a glance at the time. "Holy crap, it's almost four! I have be at work by four-thirty!" Sam and Gabriel watch as Cas jumps out of his seat and rushes to the stairs at the back of the café, up to the flat. "Easy, killer!" Gabriel calls as his brother nearly trips over a lady's bag. 

His night shift job starts at four-thirty PM, ends at four-thirty AM, and makes him burnt-out 24/7. He bursts into his room and bustles to tug on his blue work pants and his navy blue work shirt. As he fumbles out the door in a rush, he nearly forgets his work jacket, and ends up going back inside to grab it. It's too cold to go without it. His phone buzzes in his pocket, but he doesn't check it until he's in the car. 

Dean: yep so whatcha doing 

Cas: Heading to work so I'm not late. 

He doesn't check the next message until he's at an intersection, waiting for a long stoplight to change (and cursing it). A glance at the clock confirms that he has ten minutes to rush into Garrison General Hospital and act like he's not late. His boss, Crowley, would probably kill him. 

Dean: this late? what's your job??? 

Cas: Paramedic. And I work the night shift so yes, I do work this late. 

Dean's reply is almost instant. Cas fights down a blush as he reads it. 

Dean: ooh pretty and a life saver I can get behind that 

Cas: Dean I gtg light changed 

That's the last text Cas sends to Dean for a few hours, until around ten, when he finally gets some downtime. He'd helped with some training in the training room, ate dinner, and then went on three consecutive calls, one psychiatric and the other two illness related. He's already exhausted, and has four unread messages from Dean, the most recent from an hour ago. As he flops down on one of the bottom bunks in the sleeping area, he reads over them. 

Dean: ok bye?? 

Dean: ok so practice was long and boring what are you doing 

Dean: bleep bloop (Cas smiles like a maniac at this one- it's just so cute.) 

Dean: *photo* I love this snap filter you should take a picture with it 

The picture of Dean is adorable. His wet-looking hair is all messy on the pillow, and he's got just the cutest smile in existence. The filter is a cute-looking simple cat nose in black, the nose a little black dot and the whiskers simple black lines. It is adorable, so Cas opens Snapchat (something he hasn't done in months) and takes a picture with it. And he admits that he does look nice with it, but he's a little more worried about what Dean will think. 

Cas: *photo* Sorry about the bad lighting. I'm in the sleeping room right now and it's dark. 

Dean's reply is within five minutes of Cas sending the message. Apparently his texts are important enough for Dean to reply at 10. Or maybe Dean just enjoys talking to him. The thought makes Cas blush.   
Dean: aw and it's ok 

Dean: you have a sleeping room? 

Cas: Yeah. You didn't think we just stayed awake the whole time, did you? 

Dean: well...yes. I assumed you ran on willpower and coffee 

Cas laughs- it's about accurate. 

Cas: Haha, that too. We have a sleeping area with two bunks and a tv, a work area with our fridge and stuff. That's where we get calls too. And we have our training area. We train a little every day. 

Dean: how? 

Cas: We just run procedures we do. The CPR stuff is on dummies and such, but us paramedics do practice IVs, blood sugar tests, and needle stuff on each other. I have a little scab on my arm from a trainee earlier, haha. EMTs aren't trained to use needles aside from epinephrine pens. 

Dean: huh. so there is a difference between emts and paramedics. also, ouch 

Cas: Not really. Needles don't really hurt. 

The sound of the pager, similar to a call tone, makes Cas groan. Not another call. It’s only ten, and this is the fourth call. Freaking Fridays. He sends another quick text to Dean, one that basically says “gtg brb” in text language (which he hates using) and scrambles out of the bed. Tugging on his coat, he walks into the work area. “What’s it now?” 

Another EMT, a red headed girl named Anna, answers his question. “Just an allergic reaction. Peanut allergy, apparently. Nothing an Epipen won’t help.” 

Castiel’s stomach sinks. They get calls like this more often than he’d like, and he’s just really tired. One of his friends Gadreel gives Cas an expectant look, jingling the keys in his hand. 

Cas takes a deep breath, and heads toward the door. “Well, let's go.” 

 

————— 

 

It's late at night when Dean's phone beeps with Castiel's latest text. Dean's entire body aches from practice, mostly his thighs and arms, so it's an effort to reach over to his bedside table and grab his phone. A few muscles complain, mostly his biceps, and Dean grimaces. 

Castiel: Not really. Needles don't hurt. 

Dean sighs, the corners of his lips turning upward. He can't help it, really. He's just met Castiel, and he's already learned so much about him just through texts. He's easily flustered and effortlessly beautiful. He has the bluest eyes Dean's ever seen. His smiles are always small, but adorable. He's a paramedic, a lifesaver really, and doesn't mind needles. He's every-romance-novel-adjective-for-adorably sweet. Maybe he's just a dream. God help Dean if he isn't. 

He revises his text four different times- he's not really sure what to say. I know we just met, but I love you? You're beautiful? Argh. Why does flirting with men have to be so different from flirting from women? There are so many lines that cannot be crossed, and Dean's just confused. 

Do you have any idea how pretty you are? Delete. 

Are you an angel? Delete. 

Idk what to say...date? Delete. 

Your eyes are like sapphires. Delete. 

Dean groans. He needs love songs for this. Plugging in his earbuds, he decides on a Queen playlist, mostly because he just watched Bohemian Rhapsody with Sam so now he has ten Queen songs stuck in his head. Normally, he wouldn't, but he needs Freddy Mercury to keep this conversation going. The first song up is "Killer Queen," an epic bop, but Dean skips it for the next song, "Love of My Life." It's more of a breakup song, but it gets him in a flirtatious mood. 

A perfect reply pops into his head, and Dean smiles. "Love of my life," Mercury croons in his earbuds as he rapidly types the text. "Can't you see?" He hits send, and grins like a fool. 

Dean: off topic, but you're incredible, how did the universe come up with you? 

Cas doesn't reply for twenty minutes, probably off on a call, but Dean stays on his phone anyways. Screw sleep- he doesn’t have practice or a game tomorrow. He busies himself with Instagram and checking Messages every two minutes for the little typing bubble. Finally, at about 11, the three little bubbles show up. The song "Radio Ga-Ga" is playing, but Dean isn't paying attention. He's watching those little gray circles bounce up and down. 

Cas: I'm not sure why you're complimenting me. Do you even see yourself? You're like an actual angel. 

Dean laughs loudly at that. He wouldn't call himself an angel, but the text still causes involuntary butterflies, and that weird chest-twinge thing. Sam pounds on the wall behind him, probably awakened by Dean's laughter. "Shut up, Sleeping Beauty," Dean shouts. Sam can probably hear him through his open door. 

Dean: wouldn’t call myself an angel but thanks. You're perfect, you know that? 

Cas: Everyone has their own idea of perfection. I doubt I'm yours. 

It's such a perfectly Castiel thing to say that Dean laughs again. Cas is so modest it's cute. Like literally everything about him. 

Dean: oh but you are 

Dean: you're the kind of person people write love songs about 

Dean: if I could I’d write a love song for you 

Cas starts typing, stops, and then starts again almost three times. Dean thinks he probably broke him, like in the café, when Cas could barely get a word out. His blush was so pretty, so perfectly him. Dean wants nothing more than to see that shy smile again, have that delicate pink in Castiel's cheeks be his fault. Dean knows he's got it bad after that thought, especially since he just met Cas a few hours ago. But Castiel is the kind of person you just can't help but fall helplessly in love with. 

Cas: Stop it! Anna just asked me why I'm blushing so much...you're killing me here. 

Dean: good. You should send me a picture- you're really cute when you blush. 

Cas: No I'm not. I look like a blotchy potato. 

Dean: No. You look adorable I wouldn't say it if it wasn’t true 

Dean: actually don't send me a pic I'm gonna facetime you 

Cas: What? 

Grinning like the fool that he is, Dean presses the button on his contact for FaceTime. Cas picks up on the first ring, and sure enough, his cheeks are bright pink. He's not looking directly at the phone, either. Dean can hear chatter in the background filtering through the headphone mic. He looks like he's in his break room, based on the fridge and the microwave. Cas finally glances at the phone, baby blues shy. "Was this necessary?" 

"Why yes, it was." Dean grins, and then realizes it's incredibly dark on his side of the phone. "Hang on," He says, turning on his lamp. "Okay, we're good now. And I still haven't changed my opinion." 

Cas chuckles, taking a bite of a sandwich (PB&J). He chews for a moment, thinking, and Dean taps on his phone case. "Well, I do look like a blotchy potato." He says thoughtfully, like it's some profound statement about the universe. It takes a moment for the statement to register in Dean's mind. He bursts out laughing. Cas smiles, an actual wide smile. It makes him all the more beautiful. 

"No, you don't," Dean chokes out between laughs. "You look cute. All shy." 

Cas pauses, quiet. He looks almost bashful, glancing at his sandwich. Shy is definitely the right word for this. He taps his fingers on the table. When he glances up, Dean grins. Castiel's smile grows. Quietly, almost whispering, he says "If I fall in love with you, it's all your fault." 

Screw fluttering hearts, Dean's is a damn butterfly. "Good. Same goes for me."


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a little rushed and I'm so sorry for that. I hope it's still good though!!!!!

"Dean! Get back here!" Sam shouts from the doorway- it's really more of a bark. Biting back irritation via biting his cheek, Dean turns. Anger, hot and fiery, makes his chest feel tight. He shoves his left hand in his jacket pocket, the other hand curling into a fist around his hockey bag. 

"What? Want to lecture me some more?" Dean snaps. Sam looks offended at this, frowning and running a hand through his bedhead hair. A cool satisfaction settles in Dean's chest. "Exactly. I don't care about my sleep schedule being jacked up. Or my liver. Neither should you." 

"Dean, you're not Dad." Sam says quietly. Dean isn't far from the door, and he hears it loud and clear. His face burns. That's a low move, and they both know it. Bringing up their alcoholic father always ends the argument, but ramped up the anger. 

"Don't." Dean barks, turning away from Sam. His brother sighs loudly. 

"Don't what? Try and save my brother from himself?" Sam shouts, and Dean hears his hand thump against the doorway. He rolls his eyes, fighting down the urge to just bolt. He's tired and really not in the mood for this. Tapping his foot on the pavement, Dean glares over his shoulder at his exasperated giant of a brother. 

"You done? I have places to be." He says. It's not really a question so much as a statement. Sam gets the message, groans something about "insolent jerk" and slams the front door. Dean lets out a relieved sigh and stalks off to his car, a nice black '67 Impala that was once his dad's. He rubs his face once he's seated and belted in. 

He knows Sam cares about him. That's not the issue- never was. Dean is the kind of person who prefers to deal with his troubles alone, mostly because that's the way he was raised. Their dad always had them moving around, and was too busy with a bottle to listen to his son's ADHD issues. Sammy was busy being boy genius. To be entirely honest, Dean didn't want to push his problems onto his baby brother. It's just how he is. So he bottles it up, stands up straight, and gets on with his life. 

The only time he ever really let himself lean on someone was with Lisa, but they split up in the worst way possible. Right when Dean was about to drop on one knee, Lisa said she was done. It hurt like being hit with a puck square in the chest- and that hurts a lot. It hurt even worse when he said bye to Ben. Ben was like his son, but now he was gone. After that, Dean had resolved never to fall again. Only in moderation. 

Seeing Castiel yesterday brought all the feelings he swore off right back, like ripping a band-aid off. He spent majority of his morning nursing a still-sore heart and a Gatorade. Sam walked in on him making a mimosa that was less orange juice than anything else, thus how this argument started. He hasn't even had coffee yet. 

That thought is what brings him back to Angelic Coffee, for two reasons. 1, Gabriel's Black Eye coffees do wonders, and B, maybe he'd get to see Cas again. He's decided that dwelling on the past will do nothing for him, and he might as well take a chance. Like Sam says, it's not good to lock yourself away. And he likes Castiel a lot. 

Tapping on the steering wheel as he waits for the light, his phone rings. It's a text from Sam, so naturally Dean ignores it and tosses his phone on the seat. The light changes, Dean turns on the 101.1 FM and blares Metallica until he arrives at Angelic Coffee. 

Gabriel waves when Dean enters the shop, taking care of some French press thing. Castiel is leaning on the bar, but it takes Dean a second to say hello. He's too busy gaping. Castiel is wearing his uniform, dark blue making his ocean eyes pop. His dark hair is combed nice and neat. The collared shirt is more form fitting than Dean normally sees in EMTs, and he realizes his cheeks are flaming pink. "C-Cas! Hey!" 

Castiel chuckles, clearly having noticed Dean checking him out. Gabriel looks over at them with a very, very pointed look as he hands the coffee to his customer, directing a special glare Dean's way. A mischievous smile spreads over his face even more when he sees the pink on his brother's and Dean's cheeks. 

"Shut up," Dean snaps, pointing at Gabriel. Gabriel just giggles and sets off to the next customer. Embarrassed now, Dean shakes his head. "You look really good in that." 

"What?" Cas asks, and then he realizes. Dean watches that bashful expression appear again. "I'm covering for a friend today. Just a short day shift." 

"Right after a night shift? That's rough." 

Cas shrugs. He doesn't look tired at all, which is a miracle, all things considered. Then again, if he normally does a night shift, he's probably used to this. Dean realizes he probably looks like an idiot, all blushy and nervous, so he shifts his weight on one leg and tries not to look awkward. He hates doing all this stuff in front of others, especially siblings. It's so much easier on dates or in bars. This gives Dean an idea, which he thinks is brilliant. 

"Hey, when does your shift end?" Dean asks, smiling. Castiel thinks for a moment, and then answers. A BTS song is filtering through the speakers, one Dean recognizes as Boy With Luv. He doesn't want to admit that he knows that song, or even likes the song, but he does. Being the music nerd he is, you'd think he'd have better taste, but no- he still enjoys BTS. It's a guilty pleasure. 

"Um...Two. Why?" 

"Do you want to go for lunch? I have a morning practice that ends at twelve. There's a fantastic Japanese place by the rink." Dean suggests the date without really expecting a yes, but Castiel's face lights up like a firework. 

"It's a date, " He says in that low tone of his, that shy smile making a grand reappearance. Gabriel shoots Dean a glare out of the corner of his eye as he tends to a customer. Dean just shrugs. He's too happy about this to care. 

"Great! Um, meet me at the rink?" Dean responds, beaming like a fool. 

Castiel nods. It's a date, Dean thinks, still beaming when he says goodbye with his coffee. 

\--------- 

A date? A DATE?! Castiel's mind is running in circles now, and he's smiling like the fool that he is. Gabriel is chattering to him about something, but he's tuning it out. He sighs dreamily, and Gabriel swats at his arm. 

"Lover boy, earth to lover boy. " Gabriel taps on the counter in front of Cas. Cas gives his brother a look, one he knows Gabriel understands. Cas doesn't like his brother meddling in his romantic affairs, and Gabriel does that a lot. A whole lot. 

Cas takes a sip of his frappe (strawberry), and continues tuning Gabriel out. The blonde is blabbering on about how Cas needs to "hit all three bases by the third date". This is why Cas never tells him anything. Damn his curiosity. 

"Look, Gabriel, I appreciate your meddling, but can you not?" 

"No, I cannot not. " Gabriel responds, tipping his head up in mock sass. Cas snorts. 

"Now you just sound like an idiot. " 

Gabriel shrugs. "I always sound like an idiot. You know this. " 

Gabriel is right, and Cas grins. He really does act like an idiot, but he's Castiel's idiot, and he can't help but love him. He's their only brother who doesn't entirely suck. Michael is too busy with work and yelling at Lucifer, Lucifer hates everyone and everyone hates him, and Castiel can't stand Raphael. He's the only one who started drama when Cas came out, so he just doesn't associate with him. Castiel and Gabriel have a nice relationship as brothers, and they keep it that way. 

Cas checks the time on his Apple Watch Gabe bought him for Christmas last year. It's 9:30, and Castiel's short shift starts at 10. He leaves with another full frappe and heads to work. 

It's a fairly good shift, maybe a call an hour. It's a Friday morning in a college town- everyone's in class. Most of the calls are pregnant women or illness. Cas has a lot of downtime to fantasize about the date. 

Would he kiss Dean? Maybe just a hug? Flirt? Share a sushi roll at the restaurant? Would Dean take him home?! His face warms at the thought. To distract himself from any more fantasizing, he takes a bite of his PB and J. 

"Who are ya thinking about, Cassy?" Charlie asks behind him, and Castiel jumps and practically chokes. 

Charlie is his closest friend and fellow EMT. She's very mischievous and likes to scare people, mostly the uptight Hannah. She once confessed that she thought Hannah was cute, but she already has a girlfriend- Dorothy Baum, an archaeology student at Eastern. 

Cas turns to glare at the redheaded girl, who's currently grinning ear to ear. "No one. " 

“Uh huh, so you’re just turning red for no reason? " Charlie raises an eyebrow. Castiel groans. "So it is someone! " 

"Fine, yes. His name is Dean, and we have a date tonight. " Begrudgingly he admits it to Charlie. Charlie, who's as bad as Gabriel when it comes to forcing Castiel's romantic pursuits, sits down in a flash. Cas watches her with mild annoyance. 

"Dean? Like, Winchester? Has a tall brother?" Charlie asks, green eyes widening. 

"Uh, yes?" Cas isn't sure what this has to do with anything. 

"Oh my God! I know him! " 

"You do?" Castiel bites his lip. Small world, he thinks. 

"Yeah! We were buddies when we were kids. He lived near me in Lawrence!" Charlie exclaims, earning herself a glare from Naomi, their Medical Director. 

"Really? " Now Castiel is curious. He listens to Charlie describe childhood adventures for a little while, laughing at one from when they were freshmen and Dean accidentally poked Sam in the eye with a Bomb Pop. Charlie describes how Dean was the best wrestler and hockey player at Lawrence High, and how flirty he was. Cas can fit that image with the Dean he knows. . 

"I had no idea they moved up here!" Charlie shouts, earning herself another glare from Naomi. She smiles sheepishly at Naomi, who just ignores her. 

Charlie moved up here for medical school at U of M, got a job as an EMT, and ended up staying. It's how they met. Cas says Dean and Sam moved up here because Dean's on the Wolverines hockey team. Charlie gasps. "I need to text him. I don't even know if the number still works!" 

They compare phone numbers and Charlie changes it in her phone. She sends a long message and then Cas notices the time. "My shifts over, I have to go. " 

"Aw. Text me after the date!" Charlie calls after him as he leaves. 

Cas can feel the excitement in his stomach like a bee rampage. It only takes him ten minutes to arrive at the rink. The person manning the counter directs him to the rink where Dean is. He starts fidgeting with one of the patches on his sleeves as he walks. 

Dean is in the rink alone, shooting a puck into the goal and retrieving it. His footwork is impeccable, skates gliding over the ice and carrying him backwards and forward and to the sides. He's so focused, so in his element, that he doesn't notice Cas for a few minutes. Finally, he looks over and a smile crosses his face. "Castiel! Hi!" 

"Hi, Dean. " Cas watches him glide over to the door and step up to Cas. He gives Cas a light hug, which makes Cas all kinds of happy and flustered. "You're an amazing skater. " 

"Thanks!" Dean replies, taking off his skates and tugging on his shoes. "Been doing it for years. By the way, you look hot in that uniform. " 

Castiel turns bright red. Like, bright bright red. He always thought he looked a bit weird in the uniform, but the compliment from the angel of a man proves otherwise. He stammers out a reply, his heart hammering in his chest. "T-Thank you!"

"You ready to go?" Dean asks, tossing his duffel over his shoulder. He looks nice in his worn leather jacket. 

Cas smiles, beams really. "Of course. " Dean offers his hand and Cas gladly takes it. His hand is warm and holds Castiel's like he wanted to hold on forever. They leave the rink like that, and it's off to the date they go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This will probably be my last update for a little bit, and yes I am leaving the date to the next chapter. It was a little rushed and I'm so sorry for that. I'll probably revise it later. Please leave a comment or a kudos!

**Author's Note:**

> Don't forget to toss me a kudo or a comment! Again, thank you so much for reading. I probably won't have a consistent update schedule due to having a bizarre schedule. I hope you like this unconventional idea!


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